Registered Nurse Training Schools & Degree Programs

The field of registered nursing is a field that has grown considerably in the last few years, and this growth is expected to continue for many years to come. The medical world is always needing more Registered Nurses to keep up with the high speed of the field. Those who are interested in becoming registered nurses should have the need and want to help their fellow man, while knowing that hard work and dealing with stressful situations are a common everyday part of the job. Registered nurses are life savers, however, without the glitz and glam that other life saver’s receive.

What will you study while training to become a Registered Nurse?

In order to become a Registered Nurse, you will have to obtain so some of degree. For example, many registered nurses obtain a nursing certificate, while others go for their Associates of Nursing Degree, or for those that want to climb the ladder faster, they go for their Bachelors of Science in Nursing degree. With either degree or becoming certified you can expect to take an abundance of science courses that relate to Biology and Human Anatomy. You will also take classes in Psychology, Sociology and other relevant forms of sciences that deal with people since Registered Nurses deal with people on a daily basis. You will have to take the general education courses that are required by that particular college or trade school, however, you may find that English and Communication courses make up a bulk of these general education courses simply because the skills learned in these courses are going to be needed throughout your career.

Who accredits the schools that offer Registered Nursing Programs?

When it comes time to find a school as you want to venture down the path of Registered Nursing, you should keep in mind that you must attend an accreditation school. Regionally accreditation by a certain board is given to the entire school, however, when entering into a nursing program, you must be certain that the program is also accredited. The reason for this accreditation is that it ensures that all of the students are getting the same core education that will be used and applied to the trade once they graduate. There are two common accreditations that nursing programs will have. These are the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education and the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission, both of which are acceptable to work in most places. However, if you are unsure and already have a particular location in mind that you would like to work at, call and ask what most of the nurses in the building have their degree accredited from. This can save you from facing heart break later, which many people have by going to an unaccredited nursing program.

Profile of a Registered Nurse

The life of a Registered Nurse is a hectic one. The person may work nights or days, depending upon what the hospital needs. However, the hospital is not the only place that registered nurses work. Registered nurses are also working in doctor offices, with health departments and so on. In addition, each registered nurse usually has a niche, such as those registered nurses that work in trauma centers, emergency care, pediatric medicine and so on. Which means the field of registered nursing is very diverse.

The most typical complaint among those that work in the field are the odd hours that they are required to work, being on call which means short notice of when they are needed, as well as complaining of back problems which occur when they do move patients during the work day or night. However, those that work in the field do feel fulfilled when they know that they have done their part in helping a patient to recover and have educated that patient on how to make sure that the problem never happens again.

Salary wise, a registered nurse on average earns around $62,000. However, this can be more or less depending on what type of environment that they work in, the level of degree that they have, the years on the job and so on. Those who have been on the job for years and are considered to be of the highest percentage in regard to salary can make as much as $92,000.*

The job outlook for registered nurses is one of the most hopeful looking in all of the job sectors. This is because many facilities report that finding registered nurses that stick around is getting harder and harder to do. Plus, many registered nurses are now reaching the age of retirement, which is putting these facilities in high need of those young and competent in the field of registered nursing.*

*According to the BLS, http://www.bls.gov/oco/

For a person who can handle stress and can multi-task, the field of registered nursing could be the perfect fit. For those that love to help people and have the desire to do so by saving lives, then registered nursing could be their calling in life.